The Story of Peeta Mellark and I
by Carson Kochanek
Summary: A Peeta Mellark love story c: This is taken place in the present day. No Hunger Games. No Districts. No Capitol. Just plain old present day America. Enjoy ! Leave me reviews please ! c:
1. Introduction

_Confusion. It's a scary feeling to have; especially when it's over the guy that you're in love with. Peeta Mellark is such an interesting person. After everything that's happened with us, I'm surprised he still even talks to me. I've known this boy since kindergarden and ever since he's just been there for me. We never really talk... but when do, I feel like I can we can talk about anything and everything. He's one of those people who you can just sit under the stars with and have a deep conversation about the purpose of life and things like that. Unfortunately, I think that's all over now because of what happened._


	2. Chapter 1

It was Monday morning, my first day of my junior year. I never understood why people were always so excited to go back; I hate waking up at 6AM. I do my daily morning routine and decide to add a bit of make-up just for the heck of it. I head downstairs for breakfast and my mom stops dead in her tracks. "Oh, Katniss! You look so pretty today!"

"So I didn't look pretty before?" I ask.

"Well of course you did! It's just it's been a while since I've seen you wear make-up, that's all," she says trying to make up for what happened. I grab an apple and head out the door. "Have a great day!" she shouts as the door slams behind me.

When I arrive at Ocean View High School, I immediately spot my friend, Madge. She has on this knee-length white dress with a black mini cover and black flats. She sees me and waves at me, I wave back and start to walk over to her, but Glimmer and her little friends Cato, Clove, and Marvel get to her first. I dislike how she's actually popular with people, while she's really my only friend that I have (besides Gale). I walk right pass them and go into the main building.

I notice Peeta Mellark's standing in front of me in the line to get our schedules. He turns around and looks at me for a second and then quickly looks away. _"He's such an odd person," _I think to myself. Suddenly, I feel two hands on my shoulders and I flinch.

"Hey Catnip," I hear Gale's voice say into my ear as I smile and turn to face him.

"Gale!" I say loudly, "You scared me half to death! Damn you!" he gives me a hug and apologizes.

"I'd ask how your summer was, but you pretty much spent it with me," he jokes. I glare at him and take a step up in the line, "I think you have an admirer." Gale whispers, hinting towards Peeta. I look up and see his head quickly turn back.

"Peeta? Interested in me? That'll never happen. He has every girl in this school all over him."

"Not really. All these girls like him, but he never dates any of them. Maybe he's waiting for you, Catnip,"

"Doubt it. Let's move on from that, shall we?"

I get my schedule and find out I have 5th period with Gale. Unfortunately, I had to take a fine arts class; my options were band, chorus, drama, or art. I chose art since I figured it would be the easiest. Thankfully, it's my 6th period, and I've heard that teacher is pretty cool.

I get through my first four classes easily. My 5th period with Gale is AP Psychology and that class is going to be great since it's so interesting and it's our lunch class. Thank God we have A lunch! Once that class is over, I finally head to my last class of the day. I walk in and take a seat in the middle of the classroom. These seats are kind of weird; instead of having an individual seat, you sit at one big table that you share with another person that sits next to you.

"Don't sit yet! I have assigned seats!" says who I'm guessing is the teacher, Mr. Wallace. I quickly stand up and migrate towards where the other people are standing. The bell rings and a final person walks in: Peeta Mellark.


	3. Chapter 2

My jaw drops a tiny bit. I knew he was into art, but I thought he'd at least be in Art 3, if they even have that! "Ah, Mr. Mellark! Great to have you finally arrive. Class, Peeta will be my assistant for this class. Say hi," Mr. Wallace tells us to do; the room suddenly fills with "Hi, Peeta!" I'm the only one who doesn't say anything.

Mr. Wallace calls out people's names and tells them where to sit. I sit in the middle row on the right side of the classroom. Thankfully, no one sits with me, so I have all of this extra room for my stuff.

"Miss Everdeen," I look up to Mr. Wallace, "Since our first project is a partner assignment, I'm going to have Peeta work with you."

"Great," I say half sarcastically. I don't know what it is, but I just don't want to work with him. But at the same time, I want to just so I can get to know the kid better; see if these rumors Gale tells me are true or not, like the one where he dates girls only to hook up with them, or if he's nice to people to start, then becomes an asshole.

He comes and sits down next to me and breaths in deeply. I can tell he's trying not to look at me for some reason. "Uh, hey Katniss," Peeta says to me quickly. I ignore him and write down some tools I need to get for this class. "It's weird how we finally have a class together."

"We've had classes together since kindergarten. This is just the first class we've had together since 8th grade," I say in a rude manner; I didn't mean to sound rude, it just came out that way.

"Oh, right. That is true, I guess." I reply with nodding my head, trying not to talk to him more than I really have to.

"The person you are sitting with will be your partner for every partner project we have this year. Our first assignment is to draw something they like to do. It will be due by the mid quarter mark. Good luck!"

Mr. Wallace calls me to his desk, "Katniss, Peeta's first drawing assignment for Art 3 is to draw a person, and I was wondering if he could draw you. Since he has nothing else to do this class really, it'd work out. You'll do it? Great! You'll get a tiny bit of extra credit for this. Thanks," he says answering for me. I look over at Peeta for a moment, who is cleaning some paint on a table, and awkwardly walk back to my desk.

Once class ends, Peeta looks like he's about to say something, but he looks away and walks right out of the classroom. "Alrighty, then," I say, and then go to my locker. Gale was leaning against it waiting for me. "How was art class with Mellark?" he asks me.

"How'd you know that I-"

"Glimmer and Madge told me," he interrupts me, "I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd get mad."

"Me? Mad? Never! Just a little pissed you didn't tell me! Oh, and to top it all off, our first assignment is with a partner, we have to draw something that interests them. Oh, and he has to draw me for his Art 3 class." I explain. Gale laughs and I slap his arm.

"Sorry! It's kind of funny to me! Come on, let's go home." He says motioning me towards the general direction of the parking lot. I sigh and walk off to my car.

I get home faster than usual; I guess I just couldn't wait to get out of that place. School's never really been my favorite. It's not that I don't do well, I get A's and B's, but maybe it's because I just don't enjoy the people there besides Gale and Madge.

My mom tried to ask me about my day, but all I say is fine. Ever since Dad died, she's been blocking herself from the world and I'm the one whose left taking care of my litter 12 year old sister, Prim. I get my mom to sign some annual school papers and I leave to go pick up Prim from her first day of 7th grade.

"Hey! Give it back! That's _my_ toy!" I hear some little girl yelling on the playground at the elementary school. I stop for the crosswalk. I look over at the group of kids playing and chasing each other and having fun. I remember my first day of kindergarten.

_About ten years ago, I started kindergarten at Oakwood Elementary. My mom decided to be unique and braid my hair into two braids instead one. I remember being so nervous, yet excited to meet new people. I walk into my classroom and the bell rings._

_"Welcome everyone! Sit down! I'm you're first teacher, Miss Harding. I wanted to start this scary first day of school with a very happy song. Does anyone know The Valley Song?" my hand shot right up. She smiles and gives me the head nod to start singing. I begin and everyone soon follows my lead._

I smile at that memory. I hear the door slam and see Prim get in. "Hey, Little Duck! How was your first day back to school?"

"It was awesome! I met a new friend, Rue; she's new. She's coming over this weekend! I'm so excited," Prim says. She goes on and on the whole way home about how she's excited for this school year unlike the past. I feel happy for her; I just wish my day went as well. One new friend would have been nice. "So Katniss how was your day?"

"Did you just ask me how my day was?" I question shocked.

"Yeah, you always ask me, so I decided to ask you for once. How was your day?"

"Uh… fine, I guess. Hey, you know who actually talked to me today? Peeta Mellark. He's in my art class!" I tell her it may seem weird to tell her these things, but I love and trust Prim a lot.

"Peeta Mellark? He's so _cute_! You're lucky. Maybe he'll like you, you're definitely pretty. I wish I looked like you," She says.

"Oh, no. I wish I looked like you, Little Duck," I say as we get out of the car, "you better tuck in that tail!" I say, fixing her shirt.

Prim smiles as we walk inside. Mom stares at us as we come in, she asks how Prim's day was; she says it was great. I go to my room and was about to call Gale, but I don't. I just sit there a bit and think of what Gale and Prim said, about how that think Peeta could possibly like me. It'd be quite interesting if he did. But then again, he's popular. And I'm just your plain old Katniss Everdeen.


	4. Chapter 3

I get to school a little earlier than normal. I spot Madge and talk to her for a bit. She says how her dad got reelected as mayor and just goes on and on about random stuff that's going well in her life. Glimmer comes up and I slowly leave; I didn't feel like being around her annoying giddiness this early in the morning. I go to my locker when the 5 minute bell rings. Gale's locker is right next to mine on the right and I see him run up to me.

The hallways flood with people getting their books and heading to class. I stay and chat with Gale a bit since my 1st period is right across from my locker. I'm trying my best to listen, but I keep zoning out thinking about how I'm excited for 6th period to come some reason.

"Catnip, hello?" he says, I snap back to reality and actually pay attention to him, "What's up? You're not being yourself. What's bugging you?" I love how he knows me so well.

There's no point in lying, so I tell him the truth, "It's art class. I wonder how this is all going to play out, you know, with Peeta being my partner and everything."

"I think-" he starts, but the late bell rings, "I'll finish that thought later." He ends, heading to his first class.

I get into my first class, English, and sit down next to Madge. Our teacher, Mrs. Hyse, happens to be my neighbor, so she knows me already. I think this class, psychology, and art will be the most interesting. She hands us a packet we have to sign and return by Friday so our parents know what to expect from this class for the year. Mrs. Hyse gives us the lecture on how it's important we try our best, and what to and what not to do this year. "I know you're all capable of getting through school, and through all of the other tough things in your life," she says, and gives me a smile. I knew that statement was meant directly towards me, because my dad had died recently in a work accident.

Each class goes by slower and slower. It's as if one minute went from sixty seconds to ninety seconds. It's all the same, "Do this." "Do that." "Don't be late for class." "Do your homework. "Try hard." "Studying helps." The beginning of the year is so repetitive; it's driving me slowly insane; and it's not helping that I can't stop thinking of things Gale could possibly say to me about the situation. Once the bell rings for lunch, I quickly head to the cafeteria and wait for Gale. He spots me as soon as he saunters in and sits with me.

"As I was saying earlier, I think you just need to calm down," he says.

I stare at him, waiting for more words to come out of his mouth, but he says nothing more. "That's it?" I ask. He nods. "That was quite useless information. You could've just said that this morning instead of having me spend the entire day pondering what the hell you were going to say!"

"What do you want me to say? 'Oh, Katniss! He's probably just as nervous as you. It's only Peeta!'" he mocks, "Seriously though, you have nothing to worry about. He'll like you, as a friend at the least; I can't promise anything else."

"I don't like him!" I say annoyed.

"Yeah, and I didn't hit my brother when he stole my cash from me," he jokes. The bell rings for the end of lunch and we head back to 5th.

That class goes by rather quickly and I soon find myself in art class. I'm the first one there and Mr. Wallace tells me to make plans with Peeta so we can both work on our projects. Ironically, Peeta is the next person who walks in the room. I go up to him once he's settled down in his seat.

"Hey," I start, he looks up at me for a second then continues doing whatever he was doing, "Mr. Wallace said we both need to start our projects, so I was wondering when would be a good time for you."

"How's today afterschool?" he asks quickly. I nod, "Great, come by my family's bakery around 4 and we'll head to my house to work on my project first, that'll take longer, anyway." He says. The bell rings signaling the start of class and I go back to my seat. Afterschool shall be interesting.


	5. Chapter 4

It's 3:55PM. I only live about ten minutes from the bakery by foot, so I grab my bag, kiss Prim goodbye, and leave my house. Once I arrive, I see Peeta walk into the front door with a sack of flower that must have weighed one hundred pounds. I walk in and see him frosting a cake. I notice some blue frosting on his face.

"You have a little something on your face, Peeta," I joke, pointing to his forehead. He looks up and gets wide-eyed. He rubs his forehead and gets off the frosting, I laugh while he smears it even more, "Here, let me get it." I say as a grab a nearby napkin and rub his face with it.

"Thanks," he says coldly. "Shall we get this over with?" Peeta doesn't even look at me once during all of that.

"What's the rush? Don't you want to make it good? Don't you want an A?" I ask, confused. I don't know where he got this attitude from, but he should return it.

He finally makes eye contact with me. He comes over to me and studies me, his eyes looking at me all over (in a nonsexual way). He motions me to follow him and we go out back and into a door that leads to a small narrow hallway and go into the door at the very end of it.

"This is my art room, but it's mainly my bedroom," he says, "sit over there."

I quickly sit down and wait for him to tell me what to do. He shows and moves me to the exact position that "the light hits me perfectly".

"Don't move," he instructs me, "you look perfect right there."

"Don't you dare make me look ugly, Peeta Mellark," I say. He chuckles and begins to draw. After a good hour or so, he tells me I can relax. I let out a big sign and ask him what he likes so I can begin to work on my project. "I love art. I love decorating and creating things," is all he says to me.

I go out to the bakery and take a picture of the cake he just decorated. I go back and he tells me he's almost done with his work, and that he just needs to color it before I can see it. I sit down at his other desk and begin to draw the cake he made.

I finish the outline of it, and Peeta calls me over to his desk to show me his completed work.

"Wow," I say. I'm actually speechless! "I look-" "Beautiful," he finishes for me.

We both turn towards each other, "absolutely beautiful." And with that thought left hanging in our minds, he leans in and kisses me.


	6. Chapter 5

Ever since he kissed me, that moment has been replaying in my head. My first kiss and it was with Peeta Mellark. I decided not to tell anyone, not even Gale, because I don't want it to get out. I couldn't even stay focused; I was so confused with what happened.

The next day, Peeta wasn't at school. That honestly made me a little nervous; I get to lunch and Gale had somehow beat me to our table, "Hey Catnip," he greeted me warmly.

I smile and sit across from him. He takes a bite of his sandwich and asks me how my day's been. Sometimes I think he's the only one who asks me that who's actually interested in what I have to say. We talk about random stuff, as always, and for some reason, Peeta's name gets brought up. "How was that project you guys had to do yesterday? Did you go into his evil layer where he takes all of his girls?"

I give him a disgusted look, "His room? Yes. He's not a disgusting perverted person like you think, Gale. He's actually pretty nice."

"Oh really," I nod, "then what did you guys do?"

"We did our assignments. Simple as that," I state. Gale gives me a look, knowing I'm not telling him the full truth.

"Why do you know me so well?" He chuckles and takes a sip of his Coke. "Alright, fine. He kissed me yesterday." I finally admit.

As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I wish they didn't. His mouth drops open.

"I swear; if you tell anyone, and I mean _anyone_, you will be hunted down. Do you understand me?" I threaten.

"Katniss Everdeen! Kissing boys instead of doing her homework; I see how it is," he jokes. I slap his arm and the bell rings. "I'd say 'Good luck today', but he's not here, as we both know." He gives me a wink and heads out the door.

Art class is honestly more awkward without Peeta than it would be if he were present. I sit there, adding more detail to my project, It's no masterpiece, but it's pretty damn good if I say so myself! Once I finish for that day, I pack up and the bell quickly rings. I head to my locker only to see some boy standing by it; once I get close enough, I see that boy is Peeta.

"Peeta! Where were you today? It was weird sitting alone," I admit to him. His facial expression changes from stern to light. He cocks his head, giving me that "Really?" look, and I nod to back up what I said.

"I didn't come because I thought you'd feel awkward and all after… well, you know…" he says, looking down at the ground, "but obviously I'm wrong. I wanted to apologize and say how out of line that was because-"

"Is it because you've probably done that to almost every girl in the junior class?" I accidently blurt out. My eyes widen and I can see Peeta's just as shocked as I am that I actually spoke those words.

"For your information, I haven't kissed a lot of girls. Scratch that, I haven't even hooked up with a girl before! Don't listen to your little friend Gale, OK? And I was going to say it was out of line because we barely know each other," he tells me.

"I am so sorry, Peeta. I shouldn't have assumed things. I didn't mean for that to come out so rude, either," I inform him.

"Well, it's obvious we don't know each other. We know what we've heard, not what we've seen. Let's hang out sometime." Peeta offers. I nod and he smiles and walks away, "I'll text you," he says as the side door shuts behind him.


	7. Chapter 6

I call Gale and tell him what happened, since there's no point in trying to keep anything a secret from this damn sneaky boy. He thinks I should actually take up the offer, since it's the only real way to get to know what's true and what's not true about Peeta. I decided to listen to Gale and Peeta and I are going to hang out Saturday night at his house. I pick out my favorite floral laced tank top, black skinny jeans, and flats to wear. I made sure I looked extra cute for some reason; don't ask me why, I just wanted to look nice. I get to his house and I can see he was thinking the same thing as me; he looked pretty cute, I had to admit!

"Hey, you look nice. Come on in," he says. I blush, and compliment him back. I can tell this is awkward for both of us. This is supposed to be a hangout for two people trying to get to know each other better, not a date. Although the compliments are sweet, they definitely aren't necessary.

He leads me into his house and through the kitchen. He's about to grab the popcorn when I hear footsteps behind me; it's his older brother, Flynn. He looks similar to Peeta, except taller, shorter hair, and a 5 o'clock shadow.

"Well, who is this pretty young thing? Hi, I'm Flynn Mellark," he greets me and puts his hand out. I'm not hesitant at all for some reason with greeting him and shaking his hand.

"Flynn, I thought you were gone tonight," Peeta complains, with the obvious hint he wants his brother to leave.

"I cancelled my plans. I thought I'd stay and chill with you, but I see you're busy," he says winking at me.

"We're-She's not-'" Peeta stutters, his face getting red. "We're just friends," I finish for him.

He looks at us, disappointed almost, and accepts it. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to get me. I'm twenty-one; I can buy you vodka, and condoms!" The bedroom door slams behind him.

"Katniss I am so sorry you had to hear any of that. He recently had a birthday, and he's been getting drunk a lot. Just ignore him," he says.

"It's totally fine, Peeta! Let's just forget that even happened. What do you want to do?" I ask lightening the mood.

I got at his house around 5:00PM and by 8:30PM; it only felt like an hour had passed by! We were having so much fun; we played a few card games, watched The Hangover II, and just talked and actually got to know each other. I got a text from my mom asking when I'd be home. I asked her when I had to be, and all she said was "Before midnight would be nice." I tell Peeta what she said and his whole face lit up. I could tell he was actually enjoying my presence, and it felt nice to hang out with someone other than Gale or Madge.

"So, you basically have three and a half hours left here with me! What do you want to do?" he asks me. I pause to think, "We could watch another movie?" he suggests. I nod and tell him to pick any movie; we'd usually end up talking anyway. Who knew we had so much to talk about?

We ended up not watching a movie, but instead playing a round of questions. "Who was your first kiss?" he asks me, "I'm guessing it was Gale."

"Actually, I've never kissed him; he's like an older brother to me. To be quite honest, you were my first kiss," I tell him.

He looks at me shocked, "Well, then I'm guessing the rumor Glimmer told me about your hook up with him isn't true! Haha." The room gets quiet; all I hear is the sound of the clock tracking the seconds of silence. "I'm sorry."

"No! You're totally fine! It was a nice kiss," I reassure him. My instincts take the best of me and I lean in and kiss him. At first, I can tell he's surprised, but after two seconds, he kisses back and puts his arms around my neck. Let's just say that we had a good rest of the night making out on his couch.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N- Sorry it's been so long, and sorry it's so short. BUT it's something. Be happy! c:

* * *

He awkwardly sat down on the couch. He looks at me like he's hesitant on if he should say what he's thinking or not; it's weird to see him so uncomfortable around people. He's such a social person!

"I'd ask why you invited me over, but I can only assume it's because of what happened the other night," He tells me; it was as if he was reading my mind. I nod and he continues his train of thought, "Look, I know it must've been weird for you and all that we did that night, but I don't want you to feel awkward."

"What are you trying to tell me?" I question.

"Isn't it obvious, Katniss? I like you! I have since freshman year, to be honest with you. It's just you're different from the other girls here—in a good way, of course—and I didn't know what to do when I saw you." Peeta manages to get out all in one breath.

"I guess I didn't catch on because I haven't seen much emotion in my life since my dad died. But, that's off topic. You actually like me? Like for real?" I ask. He nods and adds an "Of course!" with a huge smile on his face.

I cannot believe he actually likes me. I'm not used to this feeling, but I really like it. It's warm, upbeat, and I can't stop grinning. He moves closer to me and kisses me. He puts his arm around my shoulders and I gladly move in closer to him. He breaks the kiss because of his phone ringing.

"Dang it; it was my dad. He wants me down at the bakery because my brother managed to get drunk before 8 o'clock. I'll call you later after my shift," he kisses my cheek and heads out the door. Once Peeta's gone, I call Madge and Gale to tell them what just happened.


	9. Chapter 8

Fortunately, Madge is happy about what I told her, but she's upset he didn't ask me to be his girlfriend. "You should look extra gorgeous tomorrow! That way, he'll want to ask you out as soon as possible!" She tells me. I can tell she's excited for me.

On the other hand, Gale seemed…off. I could tell he was happy that I was happy, but he didn't seem like he liked why. When I called him he showed excitement and curiosity in his voice. Once I told what happened, the excitement went away. Does he not like Peeta? If not, why? Hundreds of questions race through my mind after I say goodbye to Gale.

After I get out of the shower, I brush my hair and begin to straighten it. I need to step up my game if I want Peeta to ask me out! I even pick out a nice outfit, like one I'd wear when my mom says, "Katniss, the family's coming over for dinner, dress up a bit!" She'd be proud to know that I'm dressing nice without her telling me to.

Once I get up and ready in the morning, I leave a few minutes earlier than, usual just to make sure I'd have a chance to talk to Madge and that I'd see Peeta before art class. Once I spot her, she tells me he's by my locker. "He was actually asking for you!" Madge tells me. I quickly get over to my locker and see him waiting there for me. Peeta looks over in my direction and smiles at me, while motioning me to come over to him.

"Hey you," Peeta says to me giving me a quick embrace. I didn't have time to hug him back since it was so quick, but that's alright. "I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a date tonight; how about to see a movie?" He asks me. I nod my head yes, almost speechless that he actually asked me. "Great, I'll pick you up around 5:30PM." He walks away and the first bell rings, signaling we have five minutes to get to our class.

Eventually, art class rolls around and I was the first person in the class. Right behind me is Peeta. He grabs my waist from behind and turn me around, "Hey there, gorgeous." He says to me. He moves the hair out of my face, twists my braid, and kisses me with his soft lips. I start to get into the kiss, but then we hear the door knob turn and Peeta immediately stops kissing me and acts like we were doing nothing. He rushes to his seat. Confused, I creep over to mine. A bunch of students begin to flood into the classroom, and I whisper to Peeta"What was that all about?" He looks at me and begins to write something down on a piece of paper.

**_I'll explain it all later, probably after class, ok? I promise._**

I read it and give him a disappointed look. He sighs and crumples the paper and throws it in the trash. I could tell he was upset that I got upset with him; I didn't even need to second guess it. After class, he catches up with me and grabs my arm lightly.

"Katniss, about earlier, I just didn't want people to know yet. It's nothing about you or anything bad, I just want us to spend a little more time together before we, go public, if you'll say." Peeta explains to me. He smiles, and I look into is bright blue eyes; they're filled with hope. Hope for forgiveness, or for me to believe in what he said? Either way, I accept it, because I can't resist his adorable smile.

"Thank you, beautiful," he says, "I'll text you later. We can hang out at my house tonight if that's cool with you."

"It's perfect with me, I'll see you tonight then," I tell him. I lean in for a kiss but stop half way when I recall what he literally _just_ told me.

I do that awkward half smile with the nervous laugh. He giggles and grabs my hand and holds it for a second, then walks away to go to the bakery. I'm not quite sure how this should make me feel, him and I being a secret, but I guess I'll find out why he feels it's the best thing to do.


	10. Chapter 9

Once I reach my room, I put my stuff on the bed. I look at the clock to know the time, but my mirror catches my eye. I look at myself. I don't look too bad from afar; my hair looks nice, my make-up seems OK, and my outfit is cute. Then I step closer. I begin to see more flaws, such as my eye liner is a tad smeared, and my hair has a few that are sticking out. Now that I see what everyone else does when they talk to me, I look worse up close. Could this be the reason? Is it because I'm not as put together as other girls are in my school like Glimmer, who never seems to have a hair out of place ever?

I'm not one of those insecure girls who thinks they're ugly and fat and will never get a boyfriend, I think I'm alright looking, and it's good to have some curves! But I do know I don't compare to Glimmer and Madge, which is obvious because I'm not popular like they are. Peeta's one to date popular girls, which that I am not. Maybe that's why.

Could Peeta be embarrassed of me? It is a possibility. I mean, I'm pretty sure Gale and Madge are the only other people who know about us. I fix my hair and retouch my make-up a bit and look in the mirror again. I look much better; I look as I did from afar. In the corner of my eye, I see Prim, peeking in my room.

"Hey there, how was school?" I ask her. She lights up and shows me the paper she had to write.

"It's about our favorite person, but it's only the beginning paragraph, unfortunately. Wanna hear it?" she smiles at me. I nod, and she begins reading.

"'My Favorite Person', by Primrose Everdeen," she begins. "There's always that one person in your life that you can look up to, rather it's a celebrity or a family member. Most of you guys are going to put a well-known actress or model, or a football player. But I'm not; I don't look up to them. They have done some cool stuff, I'll agree, but it's not really going to help you or the world. My favorite person, now she'll make a difference in this world. That person is my loving sister, Katniss Everdeen."

"Aw, Prim! You didn't have to write it about me!" I say as I give her a squeeze.

"Yes I did, it's true! I look up to you, Katniss. I want to be _just_ like you when I'm older," she hugs me and heads towards her room, "Anyone who you're friends with or dating is lucky to have you. I'm glad I get to call you my sister." With that being said, she leaves and heads to her room to finish her paper.

Two hours later, I receive a text from Peeta asking if I want to come over. I tell him yes and head over there. I decided to ask him what the real reason he doesn't want to go public yet is. As soon as I get there, he greets me with open arms, but I deny his hug and walk straight passed him and say, "Why don't you want people to know that we're talking?"

"Uh… is it bugging you that much?" I nod my head, "Well, as you and everyone else knows, I'm not much of a public person when it comes to everyone knowing everything about my life and-"

"I know, but people always knew about your dating life, so what's so different now?" I interrupt. I know he senses the anger in my voice; it's faint, but it's definitely there.

"It's different now because I didn't like that, and I know you don't, either. Having everyone know we're talking will start rumors and stuff. So, if and when I ask you to be my girlfriend, then everyone can know. It'll make things easier on both of us, Katniss, I promise."

Somehow, he has managed to get right in front of me without me realizing it. I hear him breathing he's standing so close to me. I look into his eyes and he looks right back into mine. I finally give him the hug he wanted and say OK into his neck. He hugs me back and kisses my cheek. We stare at each other for a second, and then he passionately kisses me. The kiss gets harder and deeper, and then it turns into a make out.

We somehow make it to his room and in the position where he's laying on top of me. I feel his hands move from my neck to my waist, and I begin to feel different inside. I've never felt this before; I'm nervous, but I kind of want to go further at the same time. Obviously, I've never had sex before, but I'm not sure if I can say the same for Peeta; he's always had luck with girls.

He breaks the kiss for a moment, "Are you comfortable with this? I feel like you aren't. I don't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with."

I nod my head, telling him that this is all alright, that I'm perfectly fine. He goes back to making out with me and moves my shirt up a tad to where his hand is on my waist and under my shirt. I start to get nervous when his hand keeps sliding up; it's now right under my left boob. I feel his arm go back down and out of my shirt when I notice he stopped kissing me. He lifts his upper body off of me and takes off his shirt. I take a moment to examine his _gorgeously _toned body. He doesn't have legitimate abs, but you can definitely see them forming! He leans back down and begins kissing me again, putting his hand right back to where they were on me.

With a bit more confidence, I take my shirt off, leaving me with an off-white tank top and bra. I noticed him looking at my boobs, but then he transferred his gaze back to my eyes and took off my tank top. I covered up myself and he kissed me and said, "Don't. You're beautiful, Katniss."

That made me smile. I put my arms around his neck and continued making out with him. We probably did this for about thirty minutes or so until we heard his front door open and a giant thud. Peeta quickly got up to see what it was. I took a bit longer because I wanted to put my shirt back on. When I finally got out there, I saw his brother passed out on the floor.


	11. Chapter 10

"Flynn!" I shout. Peeta slaps his face and Flynn lazily opens his eyes.

"Oh hey there, little brother! How's it going?" Flynn says slurred.

"Flynn, how much did you have to drink? And don't you dare lie to me right now." Peeta asks in an extremely stern tone of voice.

Flynn's eyes widen a bit, telling me he's shocked by his tone as much as I am. He tells Peeta he basically drank almost two entire bottles of straight alcohol.

"What should I do?" Peeta panics. I can tell he's uncomfortable and nervous during serious situations.

"I'll get him some aspirin and water, you put him in bed," I recommend.

Peeta picks him up, gives him the glass of water and aspirin I grabbed, and drags him to bed. Peeta walks out of his brother's room with a disappointed look.

"I don't even know how to feel about all of this. I'm pissed that he's been drinking a lot lately, and I'm upset that you had to see him like that and everything, and that tonight didn't go how you wanted it to, and-"

"Peeta! Breathe. Just calm down, and breathe. It's alright! Tonight was great, thank you," I comfort him. I look at him and see I accomplished my job.

Peeta finally looks up at me, "You always have the right thing to say. Why is that?"

"I have no dad and a little sister. I have to know what to say at times like this. Just let him rest, and make him take more aspirin when he wakes up, OK?" I remind him.

He nods, and offers to drive me home. I deny, because I can tell he's still worked up about his brother's drinking issue. Once I get home, I receive a text from Peeta, saying how he feels he owes me big time for helping him with Flynn.

I don't think what I did was that big of a deal, but I do feel grateful he feels that way. He asks me what I want and I say anything he has to offer and he says "Alright (;". I don't know exactly what to expect from this, (yes, I do realize this mean sexual things) but when it comes to Peeta I didn't mind what it was as long as it was from him.

There's something different about him. I'm not sure if it's the fact that we have some sort of connection I've never had with any other guy or that he's actually a decent person. Either way, I really like him.


	12. Chapter 11

By the time Monday rolls around, Peeta and I have had countless phone calls and text messages between each other. We've just been really connecting and getting to know each other recently, and I'm getting a strong feeling he's going to do something about it, if you know what I mean. Next thing I know, we're actually going out on a real date, as in dressing up and going out to dinner! He takes me to Guadagnino's, the most expensive place in town.

I get a text from Madge, saying that she heard a rumor that Peeta really wants to hook up with me or he'll dump me. I didn't think of him like that type of guy, but Madge wouldn't lie to me.

"You don't have to take me here, it's so fancy!" I say.

"No, Katniss, I want to take you here! It's my pleasure to take you out." He smiles as he pulls out my chair for me.

I'd have to say, that was the best date I've ever been on. Yes, it's the only real date I've been on, but I think it'll be hard to compete with that. There were no awkward silences, lots of laughs, and the food was exquisite. Afterwards, we head back to his house.

"It's alright, no one's home. Want to watch a movie?" he asks me as he takes off my jacket for me. I nod my head and he goes over and picks out a few movies for me to pick from. I end up choosing Footloose, one of my favorite classics.

I really like Peeta. Throughout the movie he didn't even try anything, besides cuddling and hand holding (but that doesn't really count). Once the movie was finished, we chatted a bit about random things. I look at the clock on the wall; it's only 9:37. I didn't have to be home until 11. I look at him, he's babbling on about how he's excited to start going to the football games again. I can't help but smile; his happiness is just so contagious. It's tough to be sad when he's shining. I thought about the text Madge sent me earlier and decided to do something about it.

I lean up and kiss him, "What was that?" he asks.

"Nothing, I just felt like it was needed to be done," I say to him, and kiss him again.

He quickly gets my vibe, and runs his hands all over my body. I usually hate people touching me, but with him, it's just different. He pulls me down on top of him and I lay on him. He kisses my cheek, then my jaw, then eventually gets down to my neck. I unbutton his shirt and he stops and looks at me. He gives me that "Are you sure?" look and I nod. He accepts it, and goes back to kissing my neck. I unbutton the rest of his shirt and take it off, revealing his surprisingly toned chest. My guess is he got it from working all of those years at the bakery lifting the one hundred pound bags of flour.

He moves my sleeve down and kisses my shoulder. I stop him and take off my shirt, leaving my bra on. His eyes widen in shock. It was so spontaneous I didn't even realize what I just did until I saw his reaction. I quickly lay back down on him to cover my chest.

"Stop, Katniss, it's alright. You don't need to do this if you're not comfortable with it."

"No, it's fine. I want to; I mean I know you want to-"

"What? Who told you this? I mean, I wouldn't mind doing anything, but we don't have to. ONLY if you want to, we'd do something. I'd prefer to wait until we're actually dating, though."

"I heard it from Madge; she said Clove told her…" I tell him.

"Don't listen to Clove, or Glimmer for that matter. They're just upset that I don't like them; not to sound cocky," Peeta clears up. I nod and kiss him, "Now, do you want to continue or just stop here?"

"I don't want to keep going, actually," I say, stopping myself.

"It's alright! I mean that's ok but I have something you need to take care of," he says motioning to his dick.

I slap his arm, "Oh shut up!" I laugh at him. He laughs to, but I question if he's serious or not.


	13. Chapter 12

After that, I decided to head home. Peeta was upset for me to leave, but he understood; I had to go home eventually! When we got into Peeta's car, his brother pulled up in a cab extremely drunk. He paid the man and he drove off, leaving Flynn just standing there at the end of the drive way. I'm just glad he had enough common sense to take a taxi home and hot drive himself!

"Do you mind helping me bring Flynn into the house real fast?" he asks me, I help him as Flynn babbles on about some girl he met at the club he was at. Flynn quickly falls asleep on the couch. I look over at Peeta and notice him just staring at his drunk, sleeping brother, emotionless.

"Peeta, are you-" I start, but Peeta just looks at me with anger, "never mind."

"Sorry. I just-I just hate how everything's falling apart at home. I need to take you home. Let's go." He grabs his keys and walks out the front door. I follow him not too close behind because I feel he's upset and I don't want to set him off.

As he's driving, I notice he's gripping the wheel harder than normal. "Peeta, maybe you shouldn't be driving. I can sense you're still upset with your brother's alcohol issue," I say calmly.

"No. I'm fine, I promise Katniss. We're here anyway. Goodnight," he kisses me on the cheek and I get out of the car, "I'll call you tomorrow, OK?" he says. I nod and he pulls out of the driveway and goes home.

Once I get inside, I see Prim watching TV. She looks at me with excitement and runs over to me and asks me about my date. I tell her about it and she squeals. Apparently, she told all of her friends I was going on a date with Peeta and they swooned. Normally, I'd be more interested in what Prim has to tell me, but I'm just not in the mood for her stories right now.

I go to my room and just try to sleep. I've seen Peeta mad before, but not like this. I could tell this whole situation with Flynn was really bothering him, and unfortunately there's nothing I can do to help him. There's probably something else bothering him, too, that he's not telling anyone.

It turns out that I was right. The next morning, I get a call from Peeta and we talk for about two hours about his problems. He explained to me about how his brother's addiction is affecting his family, his family's business isn't booming like it used to, and his mom's been getting on to him about needing to work at the shop more often. I can tell there's a weakness in his voice, as if he were to start crying at any point. "It'll get better, Peeta. I can promise you that. OK?"

"Ha, alright; I trust that you're right. This is why I like you; you always know just the right thing to say," Peeta says to me. I get butterflies in my stomach after he says that.

"You know, if I was with you, I'd totally kiss you right now," I say flirtatiously.

"I'M ON MY WAY!" Peeta says. I laugh, and he says he'll text me later because his mom wants him to work.

I walk out to the kitchen and notice one of Prim's friends staring at me and giggling. I ignored it for a moment until she called me over. Confused, I decide to go over and see what was up.

"Is it true you're dating Peeta Mellark?" Talia asks me.

"No. Well, I mean we've gone on a few dates, but we're not in a relationship," I answer.

"See! I told you!" Prim's other friend, Rue, stated, "Prim you were right. I guess the other rumors aren't true then; or maybe they are… I don't know."

"Woe, wait one minute. What other rumors? What have you girls heard?"

A few minutes later, I learn that rumors have been going around that Peeta and I are secretly dating and we've told no one because he's embarrassed of me, that we've had sex, and I'm possibly pregnant. "Who in the world did you hear this from?!"

"Clover and Glimmer, of course!" Talia tells me.

"Listen," I say sternly, "I'm not one to say this kind of stuff, but don't you dare listen to those bitches, you hear me? They're just upset that Peeta likes me and not them. By the way, none of those rumors are true. Peeta and I are just talking, I'm NOT pregnant, and we're both virgins. Please, tell all of your friends that, too, if they ask, got it?" They all nod their heads and scurry off to Prim's room like little mice.


	14. Chapter 13

Sunday morning, I decided to do something with this little extra cash I have, since Peeta has been a real gentlemen and buying my dinner and stuff for me. I take Prim and we go to the mall and treat ourselves to an ice cream and a new outfit or two.

While we stop in one store, I hear a few girls snickering and looking over at Prim and me. Feeling a bit overly confident, I ask them why they're looking at me that way, and the only thing I get back is, "Slut. We all know you're 'secret' with Peeta. There's no point in hiding it!"

Prim tried to go after them to "tell them off" but I held her back and told her to relax and forget about it. "It's not your battle to fight, Prim. It's mine and Peeta's, alright? Just ignore it, and continue to look for some clothes," I tell her. Thinking that to myself, I calm down a tad and continue to attempt to enjoy the rest of my day. That evening, I stop by the bakery to talk to him about what we should do with these ridiculous rumors. I sat him down outside and told him everything I had heard from my sister's friends.

"I didn't even know these rumors existed! We have to tell people they aren't true!" Peeta says to me after I explain to him our situation. Shortly after that, a guy on the football team, Brett I think his name is, walks in and comes up to Peeta and me.

"Hey guys, discussing baby names, I'm guessing?" he says to us laughing.

Peeta gets up and grabs his shirt collar, "Listen here, jack ass, Katniss and I are NOT having a baby, do you understand me? Now get lost and stop assuming shit," Peeta lets go and Brett quickly walks inside the bakery, "Well, now that that's over, where were we?"

I gaze at him in awe. I've never heard Peeta this mad before; it was honestly kind of scary to me. The tone of his voice, the look in his eye; he looked like he was going to punch him at any second! I never knew Peeta had so much anger built up inside of him. I told him I had to go and I'd talk to him in class tomorrow and scurried home.

A/N- Sorry it's so short, I've been busy lately. I just wanted to ask if you could leave a review of what you think of the story so far and my writing style and what I can improve on. Thanks for reading! xx


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